Most computers sold now have numerous connection ports for peripherals such as, for example, loud speakers, a keyboard, a mouse, one or two printers, external disk drivers, MP3 recorders/players, and so forth. The majority of the connectors are on the rear panel of the processor cover. This makes access difficult.
There have been many proposals for “multi-media” keyboards whereby the alphanumeric keyboard for a computer has built in speakers. In the majority of cases, the signal supply to the keyboard is output from the sound card of the computer—as analog audio—and is fed via cables to the keyboard and hence the speakers. Being analog audio, the sound quality is not good. Many such keyboards have complex additional functional controls, plural connections to the host computer, and have in-built sound functionality in addition to those of the host computer. They may also require additional power inputs.